This invention is related to a nail button and a method for manufacturing a nail button. More specifically, this invention involves a nail button which comprises a nonperforated collet.
Covered nail buttons are used for functional and nonfunctional purposes in the furniture industry. Typically, these nail buttons have been made using one of two different methods to form a nail button base assembly comprising a collet and attaching means. The first method used in the industry for joining the attaching means and the collet is by staking. Staking simply means that the attaching means, usually a headed nail, is driven through a hole in the center of the collet. The nail becomes lodged in the hole following the staking operation through friction fit or interference fit.
The second method of joining the attaching means to the collet is by spot welding. In the spot welding method, a nail type attaching means with a broad head is inserted into a hole in the collet which is held in a die. The attaching means is then attached to the collet by spot welding
These two methods have been successfully used for many years to produce perforated nail buttons for industry. However, these methods are not without drawbacks. One primary drawback of these methods lies in the number of steps required to produce the button base assembly comprising the collet and attaching means. A second drawback is the speed in which the nail button can be assembled by the two methods above. An additional disadvantage lies in the quality of the nail button produced by the two methods above. Quite often the spot welding or staking procedure results in a nail button in which the nail is not fully attached to the collet or which becomes loose upon use. This results in a nail button that must be discarded or replaced.